Rare genetic disease ravages village in Brazil (graphic images)
More than 20 people in the Araras community of about 800 have XP. That’s an incidence rate of about one in 40 people, far higher than the one in 1 million people in the United States who have it.
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
For years, nobody could tell Jardim or the others what was afflicting them. "The doctors I went to said I had a blood disorder. Others said I had a skin problem. But none said I had a genetic disease," Jardim said. "It was only in 2010 that my disease was properly diagnosed."
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
"I was always exposed to the sun, working, planting and harvesting rice and caring for the cows," said Jardim. "As the years passed my condition got worse."
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
Araras, Goias state, Brazil
Jardim wears the large straw hat in an effort to protect his face, but it's helped little, as he has undergone more than 50 surgeries to remove skin tumors.
Araras, Goias state, Brazil
Both of them suffer from a rare inherited skin disease known as xeroderma pigmentosum, or "XP."
Araras, Goias state, Brazil
Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. That’s a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival.
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
Goiania, Goias state, Brazil
Both of Jardim's parents were carriers of the gene that causes the disease, largely ensuring that he would have it.
Araras, Goias state, Brazil
Those with the disease are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet rays from sunlight and highly susceptible to skin cancers. That’s a particularly vexing burden in Araras, a tropical farming community where outdoor work is vital for survival.